Former Sens. Frasure, Toryanski will run for Idaho Secretary of State

Former Republican Sen. Evan Frasure is making a second bid to become Idaho’s chief election officer and will announce formally Thursday in his hometown of Pocatello. A real estate agent for 30 years, Frasure now teaches government at Century High School.

Another former senator — Mitch Toryanski of Boise — will also will announce Thursday at the Capitol. Toryanski enjoys the support of honorary campaign Chairwoman Freda Cenarrusa, the widow of former Secretary of State Pete Cenarrusa. Toryanski’s announcement is set for 11:45 a.m. Frasure will announce at 11:15 a.m. at the Bannock County Courthouse.

“We need to continue to assure our citizens residing in Idaho that our elections will be fair and open to all eligible voters in the state,” Frasure said in a news release. “Our system of government is designed to empower ‘we the people’ to be responsible and ultimately in charge of our own government. The Secretary of State has the sacred responsibility to ensure the fairness of our election process.”

Frasure spent 12 years in the Legislature and is a former chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee. In 2002, Frasure left the Legislature to run against Ben Ysursa in the GOP primary for secretary of state, carrying 34 percent of the vote to Ysursa’s 66 percent. Ysursa, who went on to become the most popular vote-getter in recent years, is retiring after 12 years.

Frasure also served as co-chairman of the first 2011 Idaho Redistricting Commission, which was disbanded after failing to reach an agreement before its deadline.

He becomes the third Republican to enter the race. Already announced in the race to be decided May 20 are Rep. Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale, a former speaker of the Idaho House, and Ada County Chief Deputy Clerk Phil McGrane. Also considering the race is Boise Democratic Rep. Holli Woodings.

Frasure’s news release follows. (NOTE: The misspelling of Ysursa is in the release.)

Evan Frasure announces candidacy for Secretary of State

Pocatello, Idaho – December 18, 2013 – Evan Frasure, former Idaho Senator, will formally announce his candidacy for the office of Idaho Secretary of State tomorrow, Thursday, December 19. He will make his official announcement in a public ceremony at 11:15 a.m. on the steps of the Bannock County Courthouse. Idaho’s current Secretary of State, Ben Ysurza, recently announced that he will not be seeking re-election after holding the office for 12 years.

Evan Frasure is a former member of the Idaho House of Representatives and State Senate where he represented Pocatello from 1990 to 2002. He graduated from Idaho State University in 1977 with a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education. Frasure was a licensed Idaho real estate broker for over 30 years. Currently, Frasure is a government teacher at Century High School in Pocatello. He and his wife, Analyn, have four adult aged children.

If elected Idaho’s next Secretary of State, Frasure says he has several objectives in mind for his service in the office. Frasure has stated, “We need to continue to assure our citizens residing in Idaho that our elections will be fair and open to all eligible voters in the state. Our system of government is designed to empower “we the people” to be responsible and ultimately in charge of our own government. The Secretary of State has the sacred responsibility to ensure the fairness of our election process.

“The Secretary of State also serves as one of five constitutionally designated members of the state Board of Land Commissioners. The Land Board is responsible for the management of lands that have provided major funding to our public schools including universities. In recent history, the Land Board members have been predominately from the Boise area. I believe eastern Idaho should be represented as well on this very important state board.

“The Secretary of State also works with Idaho’s business community. I want to work for the overall economic well-being of our great state helping enhance the opportunity for businesses with good paying jobs to thrive.”

Frasure has already received the endorsement of many prominent Republicans across the state. Those individuals publicly supporting Frasure’s candidacy for Secretary of State include: Senate Majority Leader Bart Davis from Bonneville County, Senator Fred Martin from Ada County, former Senator Moon Wheeler from Power County, and Senator John Tippets from Bear Lake County. In his home County of Bannock, Frasure has the public support of Senator Jim Guthrie, Representative Kelley Packer, Bannock County Commissioners Steve Hadley, Karl Anderson, and Howard Manwaring, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad, and Chubbuck Mayor Steve England among others.

More information regarding the Evan Frasure for Idaho Secretary of State campaign may be obtained by going to the campaign’s website: EvanFrasure.com.

Dan Popkey came to Idaho in 1984 to work as a police reporter. Since 1987, he has covered politics and has reported on 25 sessions of the Legislature.
Dan has a bachelor's in political science from Santa Clara University and a master's in journalism from Columbia University. He was a Congressional Fellow of the American Political Science Association and a Journalism Fellow at the University of Michigan. A former page in the U.S. House of Representatives, he graduated Capitol Page High School in 1976.
In 2007, he led the Statesman’s coverage of the Sen. Larry Craig sex scandal, which was one of three Pulitzer Prize finalists in breaking news. In 2003, he won the Ted M. Natt First Amendment award from the Pacific Northwest Newspaper Association for coverage of University Place, the University of Idaho’s troubled real estate development in Boise. Dan helped start the community reading project "Big Read." He has two children in college and lives on the Boise Bench with an old gray cat.